Essential Avengers, Vol. 3

Volume 3 of Essential Avengers sees yet more roster changes. BIG SHOCK there. The King of Wakanda and the android Vision joins the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With that last inclusion, that also means we're introduced to the robotic menace: Ultron!

This volume covers issues that first debuted from 1968-70. I knew that the Vision makes his debut during this period of time. But I thought we were at least 5 years, maybe more, away from Ultron coming into being. So having him pop up was a real surprise. Too bad that Ultron is probably my least favorite Marvel villain of all-time. Here's a character perfectly designed to destroy humanity and yet, Ultron always loses- seemingly destroyed. But no! Ultron keeps coming back in a new, bigger and badder upgraded body. Why won't he just die?! 

The addition of T'Challa adds a touch of royalty along with a heavy hitter to the ranks of the Avengers. Why the Black Panther doesn't use his political clout more during this time period is beyond me. Instead, T'Challa takes on the secret identity of Luke Charles, a inner city school teacher. Towards the end of this volume, we do experience the struggles of the Civil Rights movement through the Panther's eyes when those slimy racist goons of the Serpent Society rear their ugly heads back onto the seen. They're not as scary as the original version of the group seen in the previous volume. Still, it doesn't make their message of hatred and bigotry any less palatable. Beating DC Comics to the punch with relevant comics by almost a full year, I don't know if making the Black Panther the champion of the battle of inner city racism and inequality was Roy Thomas' idea or that of editor Stan Lee. Whomever it was, they were visionaries whose contribution should never be erased from bookshelves!

Another major character undergoes a change; although their metamorphosis is less internal and very much overt! Clint Barton hangs up his purple tights and arrows and takes on Dr. Henry Pym's mantle of Goliath, the giant Avenger. No, Hank hasn't retired from superheroing. But now a married man and operating as the schizophrenic superhero Yellow Jacket, Pym doesn't have time for seeing the sites of the Big Apple from 20 feet in height. After the death of his brother, Barton needs a change. Losing the love of his life, the Black Widow, to her career as a SHIELD operative may have something to do with the change in identity...

Compared to the last volume, there's a lot more of original members Thor and Iron Man as well as Captain America in this book. They're all still on reserve status. But it's nice to see them in action when things look their bleakest like in the alternate reality thriller of Avengers, Annual #2 in which the original Avengers killed off all of the other heroes in order to usher in a Golden Age of Peace and tranquility under the benevolence of the Scarlet Centurion. 

It seems that with the loss of new recruits balanced with the assistance of the Big Three, the more things change for the Avengers, the more things stay the same.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Worlds Apart

Ororo and T'Challa. A match made in Heaven, destined to be separated by their bloodlines and responsibilities. For Ororo is the mutant X-Man Storm and T'Challa is the king of Wakanda and sometimes Avenger Black Panther. 

X-Men: Worlds Apart was a 4- issue miniseries released 16 years ago in 2008. So, I think I'm not going to spoil much by saying that this story marks the start of the crumbling foundation in Ororo and T'Challa's marriage. When a Wakandan mutant is accused of murdering a high ranking official, it's up to Queen Ororo to head a royal inquiry in T'Challa's absence. 

Tensions in Wakanda are already at an all-time high. Many of the Wakandan people are distrustful of outsiders. They're even more suspicious and afraid of the mutant master of the weather. How dare an X-Man marry into the royal family! Storm discovers that a powerful psychic from her past has returned and was actually behind the murder. Unfortunately, her subjects refuse to let the lad who was manipulated into the death escape mandatory Wakandan execution. So Ororo will cross loyalties from the Queen of Wakanda to X-Men leader to ensure justice prevails. But when the Black Panther suddenly returns, possessed by the Storm's ancient foe, Ororo will have to cross some lines that will forever mar her place in the Wakandan palace and in her bonds of Holy Matrimony with T'Challa.

The main story was tedious to read. Not because of the main plotline taking place in Wakanda. It was the secondary plot involving Cyclops and the those mutated CHUDS, the Morlocks. They've got to be my least favorite part of the X-Men universe. I've never liked the Morlocks. I've always found them to be unnecessary. I thought this was going to be a tale about Storm and T'Challa. Instead, about a third of the main feature involves those annoying sewer dwellers! And it takes place during the X-Men's exile in San Francisco; perhaps the weakest of any of the Marvel mutant eras!

There was a brightspot. This book also includes a team-up of the two lovers from the pages of Marvel Team-up #100 and a late 90s issue of Black Panther. The earlier story was classic 80s Marvel with writing, plotting and art by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Back when Storm was illustrated with those mysterious cat-like eyes. That too brief short story details the origins of the two lovers first meeting as children.

The more modern tale was kinda powerful with its allegory of racism and bigotry. Yet it's also rather absurd with the narration being provided by State Department liaison to Wakanda, Everett K. Ross. True, Ross has always been a sort nervous sort of fellow. But the story was supposed to reflect a report Ross was sending to his supervisors. It was anything but professional with a bunch of jokes that fall flat.

A must for die hard X-Men fans who think the Morlocks are great. However, that's not me in the very least. That's still to not say I wouldn't be open to more stories about Storm and T'Challa. Maybe it's happened prior and I just don't know it, but I would really dig a What If... detailing what would have happened if as youngsters, T'Challa forsook the throne of Wakanda and instead went off to live with Ororo in the Kilimanjaro valley of Kenya. Would Ororo have become Storm at the request of Professor X? Would Klaw or the Man-Ape have claimed the title of Black Panther after the death of King T'Chaka? That's a story I want to read. 

Hey, Marvel... call me! I'm willing to help punch out a script!

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 4

Ornaments representing Marvel Comics is next on our Advent. I start off with my favorite decoration. From Hallmark, this 2011 release is part ornament and part comic book. Some of the ornaments I adore most was a set of Little Golden Book ornaments from the mid-80s. These books were exact 2in x 2in replicas of some classic kids books that I adored as a kid. Well, the same thing kinda happens here.

The ornament boasts a replica to the cover of Avengers #4, which marked the resurrection of the character into the Silver Age of comics. I just love how Hallmark has Cap. literally leaping off the page. Then inside there are several pages that reprint Earth's Mightest Heroes and their first encounter with the revived World War II hero.

After Captain America, my next favorite Marvel property is the Fantastic Four, Marvel's First Family. Unfortunately, a quick Google search doesn't seem to uncover any ornaments starring the whole team. There's a couple made of the Human Torch. But they just look hokey. So I chose this early 2000s miniature set from Hallmark. Spider-Man, The Thing, The Hulk and Wolverine at one time or another were members of the FF. I guess technically this counts. One of the cool things about this ornament is that you hang the 6 heroes individually or you can combine the bases for one deluxe ornament. 

Spider-Man is another favorite of mine. If my wife didn't hate spiders so darn much, I would have tons of Spidey stuff all over my house. One of my favorite ornaments is of Spider-Man hanging upside with his webs. It's such a beautiful piece. But then I saw an ornament that looked just like it only instead of webs, the wallcrawler is using Christmas lights. Well, I had to pick that one instead! It's also from Hallmark, dated 2019.

Hallmark doesn't have the monopoly on great Marvel tree decor. Pottery Barn has an adorable set of hand stitched felt replicas of Black Panther and Spider-Man. Disney offers a resin ornament of Nick Fury. While this is of Nick Fury Jr and not of his dad, the former WWII Sargent, I like this one because he's decked out in the classic blue and white SHIELD uniform. Lastly, I really dig this painted wooden ornament for sale on musicdope80s.com. It's of the Hulk's head, adorned with a Santa hat. I think the image is taken from a classic work by John Romita or Sal Buscema. 

Marvel Comics Presents #148

Black Panther makes a triumphant return to the pages of MCP since the conclusion of his 25-part story in issue #37. In this 8-pager, Black Panther is on the trail of the mutant Sabretooth in the jungle wilds of Wakanda. 

Jason Strongbow, the Indian superhero known as American Eagle, has another fish out of water adventure. Only this time, he's not in the Big Apple. He's in the Middle East taking on an American soldier who tragically was left behind after Desert Storm. Having lost his mind and turned into a despotic nomad warrior, it's up to Strongbow to bring one of our missing sons home.

In the most powerful story of the bunch, and that's saying a ton after that American Eagle story, the hero who could be anyone; even you- Captain Universe, has claimed another temporary host. This time around he's Elijah Jackson, a former star baseball player reduced to a near vegetative state due to a massive stroke. When thugs try to rob his struggling daughter who's recently returned from another desperate trip to the pawn shop, Elijah transforms into Captain Universe, this time armed with a baseball bat, in order to save the day. 

The lone multi-part segment stars the punk-rockish Vengeance. It's an interesting story. But it doesn't hold a candle to any of the 3 one-and-done tales. The Black Panther story has a great twist ending. The American Eagle story is poignant and powerful. The Captain Universe story takes that American Eagle epic and blows it out of the water!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Shuri and T'Challa: Into the Heartlands (Family Comic Friday)

Marvel might have overtaken DC Comics in the movie department. But DC has the clear advantage in graphic novels for teens and young adults. However, in the past year, Marvel has been making some strides in that deficiency. One of the House of Ideas most recent additions for readers aged 8-12 is the original Black Panther graphic novel Into the Heartlands. 

Shuri is the youngest member of the Wakandan royal family. Her half brother T'Challa, is being trained to become both the ruling king and next Black Panther. Uncle S'Yan is the current protector of Wakanda and mother Ramonda is the queen regent. That all leaves very little for Shuri to do except work on her inventions and hopefully stay out of trouble. However, when Shuri and T'Challa get in a fight during an important ceremony, a sacred site is damaged. Even worse, Ramonda and several others who attending the event have become sickened by a mysterious virus. Could Shuri and her brothers actions have brought a curse down among her people?

Finding record of a special stone that was believed to have special healing properties, Shuri and T'Challa sneak off in order to help their ailing parent. The clock is ticking and the siblings must act fast. A lot is riding on the search for an artifact and an untraveled area of Wakanda; both of which might not even exist!

I think Marvel was super smart to make Shuri the focus of this graphic novel instead of T'Challa. With the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, Marvel is going to focus mostly on the women of Wakanda in the new live-action film Wakanda Forever. Producers are staying pretty quiet about the specifics of the film, only that it will deal with the African nation after the unexpected death of King T'Challa. Personally, I think Shuri will become the next Black Panther. So, to have a book that has her as the main focus for younger readers is a good introduction/re-acquaintance to Shuri.

Not only is this a great adventure story, it also has a lot of elements of mystery to it. Keen eyed readers need to really pay attention to the first act in order to solve some of the mysteries uncovered by Shuri and her brother. 

The story is split into 3 sections with a different artist for each act. I understand why the art changes from act 1 to the second. After the children enter the Heartlands, the setting is more of a fantasy spirit world that the ghosts of Wakanda dwell. I wasn't quite so sure why the art changes again in act 3. Though now as I write this review, I think the art changes again as it reflects the different way Shuri sees her homeland and maybe her place in it after her time in the Heartlands. 

I must say, even though the artwork is different, it's really hard to tell if you don't really look at it. I think that's because of the seamless storytelling by Roseanne A. Brown (Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting). Cris Peter's (Astronauta Magnetar) palette mix of traditional African tones blending with more futuristic darker pastels throughout the book helps those transitions almost unnoticeable.

This book also includes a bonus chapter into the forth-coming Captain America: The Ghost Army (2023). It too is for readers aged 8-12. I'm a huge fan of Cap and the Howling Commandos, some of which appear in the extra segment. Thus, I am so psyched for that book. But there's also an ad for the Black Panther Legends miniseries in the back of this book and if you ask me, I'd think a sneak peak of it would be more of draw to perspective readers than a Captain America book set during World War II.

Alas, I don't work for Marvel's advertising department.

An enjoyable starting point for perspective new fans of this holiday season's Black Panther sequel and a fun place for established fans to get refreshed with a majority of the film's major players. It's completely full of Wakandan history and lore and a great tale about moving forward with healing in the light of past wrongdoings instead of resorting to cancel culture.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #37

I liked how this chapter of the Excalibur story pays attention to Kitty Pryde's dragon Lockheed and the inter-dimensional gatekeeping bot Widget. People tend to overlook these but Lockheed and Widget are important members of the Excalibur team too!

The one-and-done story involves a character I've yet to ever encounter. Called Devil-Slayer. He's a cape with a cape that houses a vast repertoire of weapons and other tools of defense against the dark arts. It was originally the property of a demon or wizard and the minions of the villain will do anything to get it back. Like set a trap inside a crowded airport lounge filled with demons disguised as humans.

Lastly, The Black Panther story finally comes to a close. Very satisfying. In fact, it was so good I read this chapter twice. 

I wonder two things about this story. 1. Why was is so gosh darn long? Was in supposed to be a mini-series or graphic novel that got scraped? And 2. Was this story ever collected as a trade paperback? Being so huge, I'd be surprised if it was never collected.

Answer to question 2 upon further research- it was- in 2018! Now I wonder why it took nearly 30 years to get collected!

Another good issue. Can't wait to see who will be taking Black Panther's lengthy residency in the pages of MCP new...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #36

Rachel Summers comes face-to-face with her Phoenix persona when the Loonies put the mutant in a scenario straight out of the future! Her future! Days of Future Past, that is! Mutants are hunted indiscriminately. Kitty Pryde is now in her mid-40s. Going by Katherine Pryde and accusing this future Phoenix of her murder, can Rachel survive in a future that is not her own?

The one-shot story has Hellcat Patsy Walker taking on a drug ring after failing to save an undercover cop dressed as a bag woman from murder. Good action. A little convoluted plot involving making the homeless become drug manufacturers under duress. 

The remaining half of this issue is devoted to Black Panther. That's right! This issue of MCP only has 3 story segments! They doubled up the pages meaning they actually doubled the action for once. Will 16 pages finally be enough to get us through 24-parts to finally see T'Challa in a mother and child reunion? God, I hope so. This story has dragged on forever!

Not a bad issue of the anthology. Having 16 pages of the Black Panther story instead of the usual 8 just through off the pace of this very formulaic series. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #35

The Coldblood story by Doug Moench concludes in this issue. It was a charming little sci-fi story that had a lot of twists to it. Too bad this character never got his own series. Maybe Marvel felt that it had too many similarities to Deathlok.

With just 2 chapters left, Black Panther finally makes it to the compound holding his mother. But before he can find her, he's got to penetrate the fortress-like defenses first. 

In the Excalibur story, my favorite member is highlighted- Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler. The Loonies and their mysterious boss have put Kurt into a circus setting. This is normally Nightcrawler's forte. But as with his teammates simulated prisons, this circus is designed to play on the mutant's insecurities and fears. Usually those fears are about Nightcrawler looking like a demon with blue skin, fangs and a tail. But how will Kurt react when he discovers that at this circus, he's human and the performers are all monsters?

The one-shot story stars Her. Her is the whom the scientists if the Enclave create after Him revolted and fused into Adam Warlock. Her has taken on the monikers of Paragon, Ayesha and Kismet over the course of her 40 year plus history. Why Fabian Nicieza decided to call the character Her could be because the heroine was still known as Her in 1989. Or, the Deadpool co-creator decided to write a story during her early days. Such past stories aren't unfamiliar territory in Marvel Comics Presents. It's just not made clear whether this is a earlier set tale or not. And I don't know enough about Her's history to know further.

4 decent stories. Not perfect. But I enjoyed it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #34

It's Meggan's time to shine. Though she's a bit of a bleached-blonde airhead on the surface, deep down, Meggan has a heart of gold and the tenacity of a beast. Literally!

In Meggan's entrapment, the Loonies have placed the mutant into a setting very similar to the Munsters. With Meggan playing the cousin Marilyn role, the rest of the family despise her and call her a freak which only opens the old wounds of being not quite human. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde has managed to escape and it's revealed that the Loonies are under the control of a big boss. Only we don't quite know who the mastermind is. Yet!

With the Black Panther story, the favorite character of mine turns out not to be hurt at all! Thus Gene Colan and Don McGregor are forgiven for the red herring cliffhanger from last issue. 

Coldblood's story keeps getting interesting. The next issue is the last chapter. 

Our one-shot story stars Captain America in a team-up with Thin Man. I thought he was the leader of the Great Lakes Avengers. Turns out, he's a minor member of the Liberty Legion whose last appearance, up to this point, was 1976! Interesting paring of heroes. Okay story. 

Marvel Comics Presents continues to be like a roller coaster. This issue just happens to be one of the peaks. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #33

This issue's Excalibur focus is on Captain Britain. I don't mean to offend the people of the UK, but Brian Braddock is the worst member of England's mutant superhero team. Captain Britain is so powerful and yet he's completely insecure. His got a woman who is head over heels in love with him and he treats her like crap. Why did they make him the leader of the team???

So when the Loonies have older incarnations of the hero beat the crap out of him, I kinda cheered. I lie. I really did cheer!

With it comes to the Black Panther story, I hate it! First they killed off a friendly little dog. Then they killed off an innocent child. Now the best character in the whole story gets gunned down. And no, it's not Black Panther! Don McGregor and Gene Colan (Daredevil) have better not have made another poor decision and kill off this guy! 

The 8-page single story stars Namor, The Sub-Mariner. It's a poignant tale about the mass pollution and destruction of our oceans. Unlike other relevant comics stories that have been a part of this series, this story was actually good despite being preachy. I think artwork by a young Jim Lee (X-Men) has something to do with this! Don McGregor redeems himself. Well until I find out what happens in the next Black Panther segment.

Worth Consuming! But just barely!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #32

Part two of the Excalibur story and we don't have the whole team. That's okay. Writer Michael Higgins (Power Pack) keeps the insanity up with this Shadowcat starring chapter. It appears that the Loonies have placed each team member of Excalibur into a fantasy world that both plays against their fears and insecurities and also sorta negates their special abilities. 

Quite natural to star things off with Shadowcat. Kitty Pryde might not be the team leader. But she's always been the brains of the outfit!

The Black Panther story continues to improve. Last issue, Black Panther received a letter from his mother. It appears to be a forgery or something written under duress. After an altercation with a would-be assassin, T'Challa finally gets his first real lead as to who may be behind his mother's imprisonment. 

The Coldblood story continues to be amazing.

Lastly in our one-and-done story, the mutant Sunfire stars in a story set against an all-new villain with energy powers that can manipulate matter. I've always felt that Sunfire was an underused character. I disliked that he left the X-Men after his initial mission with the team. So I greatly appreciated having him back if only for 8 pages of story. 

4 great chapters. Here's hoping the series is finally going back in the right direction after several very weak issues. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #31

A new series starring Excalibur, the British mutant superhero team, begins in this issue! I am so excited! I've have the complete first series run. To have an all-new (to me) story to read is such a treat. And such a treat the first chapter was!

The team gets attacked on their home turf by a group of cartoony characters called the Loonies! Based on those beloved Looney Tunes characters from Warner Bros., these Loonies are a little bit psycho and a lot bit deadly!

Adding to my enjoyment of this issue, Coldblood gets ever more closer to a final confrontation with the Big Boss. The Havok story starring Wolverine, thankfully comes to an end. And Black Panther gets a big ole gut punch when he is given a handwritten letter by his mother!

After a couple of very poorly produced issues, quality has returned to MCP with all 4 stories!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #30

We've made it to 30 issues of Marvel Comics Presents. To celebrate the milestone, Marvel went completely hoo-hum.

The Havok story continues to be the WOLVERINE & Havok story. 

Black Panther gets the tar beat out of him and spends almost the entire chapter recuperating in his invisible Quinjet while South African talking heads brand the Avenger a war criminal.

This issue has a uptick with the Coldblood story as the Cyborg solider continues to find out about his erased past as well as get closer to the scumbag who betrayed him.

Lastly in the one-and-done story, we've got a character named Leir. He's an ancient Irish god that I know nothing about. It's a standard Dungeons & Dragons type tale. Nothing impressive. Nothing memorable.

Hopefully things in this anthology series will pick up quickly!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #28

Something finally happens with the Black Panther story. After about 5 stagnant chapters, T'Challa rushes to a hospital to save the life of a child caught in the crossfire between the Avenger and the government of South Africa. This segment is rather powerful as the clinic T'Challa comes across is 'Whites Only' and the refuse to treat the dying black child. I've never seen Black Panther this mad, let alone very many superheroes this angry.

Here's to hoping things continue to progress after the NOT brief lag in the action.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #27

Too bad that the stories starring these two inside can't be as awesome as this cover!

Again, it's the back-up features that shine in this issue. Stories starring cover stars Havok and Black Panther continue to be lame.

Coldblood, introduced in issue #26, gets closer to the mysterious woman who claims to know the truth. 

Meanwhile in the one-and-done story, a Native American character known as the American Eagle tours the nation's capital. He's been called in to assist with the investigation of a hate group known as the Knights of Saint Virgil. In a twist, the big boss of this hate group is referred to as the Peace Monger. Also, he is a black televangelist. So the character like a cross between Charlton/DC's Peacemonger, Al Sharpton and Jimmy Swaggert.

Again, Marvel Comics Presents is being very political. But with this story, it seems to skewer the left as opposed to right wingers. Did Marvel Comics present a peace offering with this story based on the number of complaints posted in the letters column of previous issues? It appears so. But it's a big difference from when we had Axel Alonso as the EIC. If you complained to him about something that didn't fit his narrative, Alonso would call you stupid and then tell you to 'F-off!' 

Thankfully, Axel Alonso has been cast to the wind. But his replacement, C.B. Cebulski doesn't seem to be any less inflammatory. 

Man, I miss the more civil days of the House of Ideas...

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #26

This issue introduces a new character to Marvel Comics. Coldblood- a sort of low-budget Deathlok with a talking car instead of a computer chip Jiminy Cricket inside the ole noggin. When Lt. Col. Eric Savin discovers that the military project he's been assigned to is a front for embezzlement and funding enemy nations, the solider is killed in a landmine accident. 

Savin awakens in the future with a new cybernetic eye, replaced limbs and the designation of Coldblood-7. Unable to remember what happened to him, he's given a clue to search out a mysterious woman who will answer all of his questions. But first Coldblood will have to stave off a futuristic looking array of tanks and helicopters that are all out to destroy him!

If you noticed similarities to Deathlok like I did, there's a very good reason. Dealthlok co-creator Doug Moench also was one of the creators of Coldblood. Even though I felt like I had read this before, there was enough differences in story and tone to make me want to read more of this character's story. 

As for the other stories in this issue. Black Panther is stagnant. He's still fighting the same battle for what is 2-3 issues now. (Why is this story so long and boring???) 

The Havok story isn't any better. It's got some kind of ancient Egyptian cult involved. And I don't care what anybody says, Egyptian cults are just boring. You have mummies and deities with animal heads. I get it. It's been done- to death!

The last story- a one-shot- intrigued me. It's got the Hulk taking on the persona of a Vegas enforcer called Mr. Fixit and the blue people of Atlantis. Someone thinks it's a good idea to pit a Hulk robot against Mr. Fixit. Only, Misses Banner's little boy ain't having it and he tears the android to pieces. Ironically, Fixit never learns that it's the Atlanteans who are behind the attack.

2 out of 4 stories were rather good. 2 stories were massive stinkers. At least it's not a political pity party as in issues past. I can see why Marvel went bankrupt and almost went under during this period of time. 

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #24

Marvel Comics Presents says goodbye to one Summers and welcomes another to its pages.

The Cyclops crap-o-rama finally comes to a close. It was terrible. Why is X-Factor on my wish list when I hate Scott Summers (and Jean Grey) so?! Am I a glutton for punishment?

Cyclops' brother Xavok takes the reigns in a new multi-issue story. It starts off with Wolverine in a guest-starring role. Why do I get the feeling that this story is going to focus more on him and not Alex Summers?

The Black Panther story keeps dragging on for way to long. 

The last story- a single 8-pager- stars a character that I am not familiar with: Shamrock. A former contestant in The Contest of Champions, this Irish super-heroine returns to her homeland to reconcile with her estranged father. This story delves into her origin and complicated family dynamic. It was a very good story that I wish was longer.

Another MCP stinker. Only one out of 4 stories was any good and it was way too short!

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #23

Despite what it looks like on the cover, Cyclops is not fighting against those minions of the Mole Man, the Moloids. It's some sort of mutant clone creature from this insipid story starring the leader of the original X-Men.

After 10 chapters, Black Panther finally gets a lead on whether or not his mother might still be alive. Basically in chapter 2, Black Panther meet the man who claims to know where she is. Then 7 parts later, Black Panther finally meets back up with the guy- only to learn the informant is dead! 

The two one-and-done stories are both uplifting. The Falcon story focuses more on his career as a social worke;r working to end the cycle of violence with one of his clients and his embattered son. The other tale stars the wheelchair bound member of the Wolfpack known as Wheels. He's fallen for a older girl in school who happens to have a abusive boyfriend. You'd think someone confined to a wheelchair might shy away from taking on a bully. But Wheels is part of a superhero squad and has got bravery to spare.

Yes, those 2 stories do have some gritty real world scenarios. But they both end maybe not with a fairy tale ending. But they do end with hope. The Cyclops and Black Panther stories are major bummers. I'm really wondering why I was such a fan of this series when I was a kid in the 80s. Because 2020's me is too depressed by some of these stories.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars. 

Marvel Comics Presents #22

If you haven't seen the latest Marvel flick, Eternals, don't read this review.

If you do so anyway, don't blame me. Yes, I am spoiling something about the film. But I haven't seen Eternals either. 

This issue features an 8-pager by that latest darling of the MCU- Starfox. It's an off-the-wall tale that was refreshing considering how grim a lot of the material in MCP is. 

The Cyclops tale is about a terrible virus designed to wipe out the mutant population. The Black Panther story is about apartheid, racism and hate. And then there's the other 8-page one-shot starring Wolfsbane and Mirage of the New Mutants. It was about indigenous peoples and their loss of identity to white suppression.

For those of you who claim that today's comics from Marvel and DC are WOKE; let me just say Marvel Comics Presents was woke long before the alarm went off. 

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with these type of stories. It's just if you are looking for stories to cheer you up and feel good about yourself and maybe even humanity- only the Starfox story is gonna do that for you.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #20

 

The cover focus might be on Cyclops and Black Panther, but the stars of this issue are Doctor Strange and Clea.

Doctor Strange's 2-parter titled 'Nightmare in Suburbia' has the Sorceror Supreme making a house call. The family Strange visits is clearly possessed by a demon. But just who is behind the household evils will surprise everyone!

The Clea story was beautiful. The former lover of Doctor Strange is now the leader of Dormammu's former realm- the Dark Dimension. This land can be known to blacken the heart of even the most pure of heart, such as Clea. So what is going to keep her path on the side of the angels and not become just another Dark Dimension despot?

I really have no need for the Cyclops story. It's boring. Scott Summers is boring. He's always been like my least favorite X-Man. Well, Marvel Girl gets annoying too. But that's because Jean Grey just can't stay alive or dead or whatever state of being she's a part of.

The Black Panther story isn't bad. It's just long. Scenes that should be over in 2-3 pages are stretching out over multiple issues. If Black Panther's mother was alive, he'd have found out by now if this was a Stan Lee/Jack Kirby production. And we're only at part 8 here! It's a 25 part long story!!! Good Grief. 

Not the best effort by Marvel Comics Presents. But it at least had 2 very good stories starring members of the Doctor Strange family of characters.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.